John Green is, and shall forever be, my literary hero. I fell in love with the YA best seller and Youtube vlog extraordinaire back in 2008 when I stole my first copy of Looking For Alaska from a friend (well.. borrowed and then never returned. Sorry Zack.). Alaska Young was the first woman I ever fell in love with. And although I agree it might not be the best idea to romanticize her character (I don't think young women should strive to become "beautifully damaged"- being depressed and feeling broken are struggles we all go through. Its cool to triumph and overcome them, its not cool while you're going through it) I was amazed at how raw of an individual she was. She thought all the same things I had thought before but was too self-conscious to say. She did what she wanted when she wanted. And yeah, it certainly annoyed the crap out of people, but she didn't care. When I was 15 I honestly didn't even know people could be like that. It was so refreshing and comforting at the same time to find out that maybe I'm not the only one in existence to ever feel trapped.
The book also had a huge impact on me as a writer. The interaction between the characters could be so awkward, and I loved that. He taught me that in books, things didn't have to play out like they do in the movies. Thank you, John Green, for unintentionally karate kicking a bunch of cheesiness out of my writing.
For those of you that don't spend your entire life Tumblr and haven't been bombarded with hundreds of excited fanposts, you should also know that another of his award winning books, The Fault in our Stars, will be available for your viewing pleasure June 6th of next year. You may of heard all the backlash its been getting about its tagline "One sick love story". But personally I like it. Its cheeky, and obviously a great way to get the movie the amount of attention it deserves.
Its been so great watching Green's fanbase grow over the past few years, and I'm so glad to see him become as successful as has been. Here's to hoping it keeps getting better for you- love you John!
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